Weekend with Saigon

A weekend...
I have a sister of cousin in the country. Today, she and her father went to Saigon because some things. Taking advantage of the weekend, also did nothing to do so I decided to take it to visit the city. And District 1 is where we choose.

After breakfast and coffee with some friends, I picked her up at 9am and started my tour of District 1.
Today, I carry a Nikon D40 camera and a VR18-200mm wool tube to record memories for my youth sister. And, so we started.

The first place we went to was the Con Rua Lake (Tortoise Lake), also because it was quite close to the place where we sent the motorbike. Actually, it can be said that this is a small lake and also the most famous lake in Saigon. Somehow it was called the Tortoise, but I thought it was more like a roundabout. It is very small, about 30 meters in diameter and located in the middle of the intersection.
After walking around the lake, we wandered through 30/4 park. Here, we eat some of Saigon's signature street food (they are really delicious and the water here is not bad either). I introduce it to the Duc Ba Cathedral next door. It is possible to say - if you come to Saigon and not yet come to the Duc Ba Cathedral, you have never been to this place; it is a building built in French colonial time with a very special architecture - Duc Ba Cathedral beautiful enough of the West and the East. However, today the fact that the building is under renovation, so I can not take many photos.

The next destination we chose for that trip was the Independence Palace, a historic building located in the heart of the city.

In wartime, this place could be compared to the current White House of America. This is the center of the old government. Here you can see a lot of material and images about the resistance war of the Vietnamese people - this is the key place and the last liberation in the anti-American revolution of the Vietnamese army.

Continuing, I led my youth sister to visit the City Post Office. Like the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Independence Palace, the Post Office is a former century building with full of French architectural beauty. Today, the place is still the normal workplace of the city's postal sector. However, you can also visit some souvenir stalls and learn about the history of Vietnam's postal sector.

After a visit with the photo shoot for my youth sister, we decided to go to lunch. A vegetarian restaurant nearby was selected, actually I am not a vegetarian, but I have eaten here once and the food here is quite delicious.

After being filled with energy, we continue to explore the Saigon. The next place is Ben Thanh Market. This is Saigon's most famous market - it is also chosen as the symbol of the city. In fact, most of the products sold in the market are mainly souvenirs for domestic and foreign tourists. The market is always busy from morning until late. More specifically, salesmans here can speak English fluently, which makes sales easier.

Ending a visit to a traditional market, we chose a nearby commercial center to visit. It can be said that Saigon is the best place for cultural exchanges, with traditional features but not lacking in modern works.

At around 3:00 pm, we stroll through the Nguyen Hue walking street, however it may be due to the day so few people are here.
And to finish my journey, I took my sister to the waterfront of Thu Thiem Tunnel - my favorite place in Saigon - where I could stay away from the noise to see the full development of the city.

We sat here drinking water, chatting, eating some snacks that were bought in the mall.
Finishing a visit may not be enough, partly because of the time allowed (I even planned to take it to visit the zoological garden and the Opera House), but also somewhat introduced to my sister about famous places of Saigon. At 4:30 pm I brought it back as I was scheduled to meet with friends at a familiar cafe.
If you visit Saigon, you should go to District 1 - a symbol of the city - always dynamic but not less subtle sophistication with works of aesthetic and historical value.
An interesting Sunday ... Prepare for a new week with new plans!
Tranthephong! ...